Aloha kākou! This is a beautiful and deeply meaningful Hawai‘ian greeting.
Many people would know that Hawai‘ians are greeting each other with Aloha which means "love". But the meaning of this word actually encompasses a full spectrum of tender loving feelings from compassion, mercy through pity or sympathy to kindness and grace.
The other word of this greeting, the pronoun kākou, is even more profound. It is an inclusive we (plural you and me). Aloha kākou should be interpreted as, "May there be love between us" when speaking to a group of people. While, Aloha kāua is reserved for greeting a single person.
This "inclusive we" creates a spiritual space of mutual affection and friendship in which both the greeter and the greeted are united.
Come this Sunday, on the brink of the Old and New Year, we will learn about and find hope not only in Hawaiian but also in similarly deep Hebrew (and Arabic!) greetings of love and peace.
Many people would know that Hawai‘ians are greeting each other with Aloha which means "love". But the meaning of this word actually encompasses a full spectrum of tender loving feelings from compassion, mercy through pity or sympathy to kindness and grace.
The other word of this greeting, the pronoun kākou, is even more profound. It is an inclusive we (plural you and me). Aloha kākou should be interpreted as, "May there be love between us" when speaking to a group of people. While, Aloha kāua is reserved for greeting a single person.
This "inclusive we" creates a spiritual space of mutual affection and friendship in which both the greeter and the greeted are united.
Come this Sunday, on the brink of the Old and New Year, we will learn about and find hope not only in Hawaiian but also in similarly deep Hebrew (and Arabic!) greetings of love and peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment